Blood Lust
by xxxTsubasaHoLic
Summary: Little does Darren know, he drank human blood long before he met Sam. Crepsley/Darren. *Very fluffy. Please review!*


A/N: This is my first Cirque du Freak story. I've only read up through book 3, but I'm loving it so far. So anyway, here's a little oneshot of my FAVORITE Darren Shan pairing. Tell me if you guys see any typos. PLEASE REVIEW!

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Larten Crepsley watched the boy sleep, as he did on many nights after they had had an argument.

Darren was really a rather innocent lad, no matter how he tried to be mature. He should have never been blooded.

Crepsley frowned, tucked into the shadows on the hotel room wall. Why had he even bothered to take this brat on? He was an unruly, obstinate type, and he still stubbornly refused to drink the blood of humans that would restore his full powers. A true vampire would have no qualms about doing something that, although unpleasant, would keep them alive. It had been six weeks since Crepsley had taken Darren as his assistant, and during that time the boy had not drunk even once. He wanted to retain 'some last vestige of humanity' by starving himself of the elixir that fed his life. He was stubborn. He was hypocritical. He was stupid. He....

He was wasting away.

The warm light of the candle next to the boy's bed flickered pleasantly, casting a soft yellow light on the room. Darren lay curled up under a mountain of sheets, only his small feet and head poking out from the pile. Crepsley smirked, listening to the soft snoring coming from Darren's mouth. His amusement faded when he realized just how ghostly pale the boy's face was. And did his arms seem thinner? Maybe. Yes.

The vampire fingered the small bottle in the pocket of his long cloak. Would this really be necessary to do?

One look at the boy's ashen face set Larten's mind. Darren had to drink. Tonight. By force, if necessary.

Darren shivered under his pile of blankets, muttering. His fervent words startled Crepsley out of his thoughts.

"N-No... Don't leave me... Please don't leave me here alone! H-Help me!"

Darren's forehead was glistening with sweat; his thick black hair lying in scraggly locks. He thrashed wildly for a few frightening moments, but as quickly as the nightmare had begun, it was over.

Crepsley unclenched his fists to reveal small pinpricks of blood where his sharp fingernails had dug into his skin. The vampire's breathing eventually slowed, matching the now-peaceful pace of the boy in front of him.

The nightmares were like Darren himself. They grew violent quickly and without warning, but just as quickly calmed and settled. They had been happening more frequently as of late, probably due to the weakened state of the boy's body. But still, every time a nightmare hit, it left Crepsley feeling weak and helpless instead. It was his fault that

The older man pulled the round bottle from his cloak pocket, watching the crimson liquid inside sparkle in the candlelight. Now, how was he going to do this...? Darren needed to stay asleep, that much was obvious, or else the boy would never be able to trust him again.

The vampire silently advanced until he stood directly over his sleeping apprentice. His hands shook with anxiety as he slowly pushed the blankets off Darren's body.

"Mmfn... No..." the teenager protested. Crepsley inhaled sharply. He had forgotten the sleeping gas! How could he have been so stupid?

He leaned in over Darren, softly exhaling over his face. The boy's sleep instantly deepened, his neck slumping onto the thick hotel pillow.

Crepsley sighed audibly. If he had been caught, who knows what would have happened?

He uncorked the bottle, thick blood splashing onto his fingertip. He licked the drop off carefully, not wanting to spill it and leave any trace of what he was about to do.

Crepsley leaned in towards Darren, gently tugging on his lower jaw to open his mouth. But the boy's jaws were fiercely locked together, as if he knew what his mentor was about to try.

The vampire cursed silently. How was he going to get the fool's mouth open without hurting him or leaving a mark that could be noticed the next day? It just needed to be open enough for him to pour the bottle into. He looked around for some kind of tool to use; his sharp fingers could accidentally shred Darren's lips if he wasn't careful.

Lips...

NO. NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. He couldn't. Nope, never.

Darren shivered, his arms searching around him for blankets. Crepsley's heart nearly melted when he saw his assistant's trembling limbs.

He had to. It was the only way. Besides, this way he could force the blood into Darren's mouth without necessarily having to open it.

The vampire blushed fiercely as he swung onto the bed, straddling the much younger boy awkwardly. He thanked the gods that the knockout gas would keep Darren asleep for this. He grabbed the open blood-bottle off the nightstand, taking half its contents into his mouth. He quickly corked the bottle, shoving the rest of the blood back into his pocket. The other half swished tantalizingly around in his cheek, waiting.

Okay, this was it. No backing out now. Besides, Darren would never find out. And he needed this blood to survive.

Larten leaned into Darren gently, his strong arms pinning the boy's hands down into the pillows. Their faces were now a mere few inches apart.

Oh, to hell with it.

Crepsley's lips pressed Darren's gently, willing them to open. The boy's lips were soft beneath his, moving slightly under the force of the kiss. The vampire's face felt burning hot. He let a tiny amount of blood slip past his lips into Darren's mouth. Okay, this would work. It was fine, it was fine. He just needed to finish quickly before Darren woke up-

Larten's eyes shot wide. Darren's arm stirred slightly, and the boy's mouth dropped slightly open. He mumbled something in his sleep, wrapping one arm around his mentor's neck.

The boy kissed Larten feverishly, still deep in sleep. His tongue snaked into the vampire's mouth, searching around for every drop of blood it could find.

If it was possible for Crepsley's face to get any redder, he knew it just had. Darren's kiss felt...

It felt good...

He allowed himself to be kissed for a few more seconds, then his restrain broke. He kissed back passionately, allowing their tongues to intertwine and massage each other. Darren's sleeping hand slipped into Crepsley's thick red hair, pushing their faces even closer together. Suddenly, Crepsley noticed three things.

First of all, the blood was gone. Second, the sleeping gas seemed to be wearing off.

Third... his pants felt tighter than usual.

He jumped back from the bed, horrified at what he had just done. Darren frowned, licking his lips to get at any last drop of blood that remained. Crepsley rubbed his temples in slow circles, trying to forget the awkwardness of the situation he was in.

Darren was shivering again now. Crepsley tucked the blankets back over the sleeping teenager, and at once the trembling subsided. The deathly pallor seemed to be fading from Darren's face already.

Well, at least he didn't need to worry about doing THAT again for a couple of weeks.

With a lick of his fingers and one quick movement, the candle by Darren's bed was extinguished. Crepsley slipped out of the hotel bedroom, turning the corner into his own curtain-surrounded bed.

He got very little sleep that day.

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The next evening, Larten Crepsley awoke to the smell of cooking food. He dragged himself out of bed groggily, stretching his long limbs as he walked to the kitchen. Darren stood by the stove, humming cheerily as he flipped pancakes.

"Morning, Mr. Crepsley!"

The vampire grunted by way of greeting, then slid into his place at the breakfast table. Darren placed a full plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon in front of his mentor, grinning.

"What's with you today?" Crepsley mumbled, picking up a fork.

"I just feel really, really great today for some reason!" Darren replied, not at all phased by the vampire's surly attitude.

Crepsley's mind returned to the previous night. As embarrassing as it may have been, at least it seemed to have gotten the job done.

"You know, I had a really weird dream last night..." Darren said thoughtfully, leaning on the table.

"W-What about?" Crepsley stammered. He cursed silently when he felt his face turn the color of a radish.

"Oh, nothing." Darren happily walked back to the stove, humming as he went.


End file.
